First Half Most Surprising Poll

“Juan Pierre going ape shit in May”

classic

So many to choose, but I had to pick best record in baseball.

as seeing the headline “Manny suspended 50 games for failing PED test.” I am still stunned that people get caught nowadays, I mean, you know they are testing.

I didn’t think the Dodgers would have the best record in the NL (let alone MLB) but I didn’t think they would be far off. I figured them to lead the West and be close to the best record, so the difference between my expectations and results are not that suprising.

Never saw the Juan Pierre month or Belisario coming. All of a sudden I heard the Dodgers brought Belisario into Glendale, next thing I know the guy is legit. Pretty insane.

just goes to show what an interesting first half it was. In other years the Milton option might have won.
I forgot to add this one:

• That Jason Schmidt has yet to pitch for the Dodgers *

But then that might be better used under “least surprising thing to happen in the first half”.

While Manny’s suspension was very surprising, I thought while the Dodgers weren’t going to have it rough with the NL West, I figured they would hover around the third or fourth best record in the NL, certainly not have the best record in baseball before we lost Manny, after we got Manny back, and now at the All-Star break.

Although 5 of Bills’ walks are intentional, and he drops to 6th in UIBB.

Bloggers in the Dodgers press box, hands down.

Weird stuff with players performances happen all the time – perhaps it’s a surprise that so many of them have happened – but I can’t be too, too surprised by any one. Weaver doesn’t totally suck, well, saw that with Chan Ho Park just last season. Juan Pierre’s May? As mentioned above, Marlon Anderson three seasons ago. Etc.

Manny with PEDs? I find it hard to be too surprised by human failings.

But given the old school ways of baseball in general, and the more than one century long affair baseball and the newspapers (and later radio, then television) have had, I am still stunned and floored that the Dodgers have opened the doors of the press box – so hallowed that they named it for Vin Scully – to bloggers, especially when bloggers are still so reviled in other part of the mainstream media, although that seems to be subsiding some.

Eric, is it really harder to believe that the Dodgers have the best record in baseball, or Phil, that a player made a really bad choice, when you consider that you are probably still pinching yourself in the press box to make sure you aren’t dreaming?

Is Twitter the best or worst thing ever? Today, Doug Mientkiewicz takes on Nick Swisher.

From today’s Rob Neyer chat:

Cheese (San Mateo)
I know that everyone loves Dan Haren and his amazing stats, but come on should he really have started over Timmy? Timmy has 10 wins leads in strikeouts and has the second best ERA. Oh wait he is also the reigning Cy Young. Oh yeah and the Giants are leading the Wildcard race and are only 7 games behind the “World Beater” Dodgers who everyone said would run away with the division. I would say the kid has earned it. This whol Haren is more derserving doesnt seem to hold water to me.

Emphasis mine. When did anyone say the Dodgers would run away with the division? Not in the preseason. Not when Manny was suspended.

And besides, isn’t a 7-game lead pretty damn close to running away with the division?

because the Eric Milton option is the only one without a vote.

The Dodgers are the 20th team to have a lead of at least 7 games, 18 out of 19 teams that led by 7 or more games went on to win their divisions, only Kansas City (don’t have the year handy) did not go to the playoffs (but that’s team Pyth. numbers showed it was overachieving at the break). Again, the playoffs since the W/C are a crapshoot, I believe only 3 of these clubs won the World Series (2007 Red Sox, 2005 White Sox come to mind), the Dodgers are the 20th team out of 90 possible since 1995 to have such a huge lead at the break.

This is definitely not a pampered athlete story: Adrian Gonzalez and Heath Bell had a tough time getting to St. Louis.

because I was afraid no one would vote.

Grant from McCovey Chronicles checks in:

Hating that is like hating ice cream. There’s no law against it, but the odds are that if you hate the All-Star Game and/or ice cream, you’re a disagreeable malcontent from Elitistville, USA, and you probably hate puppies too.

That cracked me up.

Done for the year

just testing

Giants’ uber-prospect C Buster Posey has been promoted to AAA Fresno.